Chapter 729 – With a Light Heart (2)
“Lord.”
I hear Hiel’s voice. When I open my eyes, I see my two alter egos looking at me with concern. I casually open my mouth here.
“Did I… doze off for a moment?”
“That can’t be. There’s no way our lord would succumb to sleep.”
“Hey now, I’m human too.”
You still have infinite faith in me, Diend.
‘Let’s see, not even a few minutes have passed.’
A top-tier spacetime quest. I don’t know its name because the quest title was broken, but its contents were crystal clear.
Of course they would be. Grandfell, I experienced your life right beside you. Hiel fluttered her wings and approached.
“Did you perhaps visit the social hall of spacetime?”
“H-how did you know?”
“I could simply feel it.”
“I can’t even lie to you anymore.”
“Are you serious…?”
Hmm. I held back my answer.
‘Since we share so much, can they sense my emotions too?’
Once I thought that, I understood their worried reactions as they looked at me after I’d closed my eyes for only a few minutes. Now that I’d cleared the quest, my mood wasn’t very pleasant.
The spacetime gold coins given as a reward.
‘I understand now what you meant when you said you’d transcended wealth and glory.’
My inventory had been filled to the brim, but what remained in my memory more than that was the sight of the spacetime gold coins raining down—and in contrast, the scroll inscribed with the spacetime quest evaporating into thin air.
The scroll. A kind of request document containing the spacetime quest. If you clear it successfully? Of course it disappears. It’s only natural…
‘Because I know it wasn’t just a simple quest.’
Within the reversed flow of time. The reason Grandfell could remember the memories of previous cycles. In short, it was the trace Grandfell left behind.
Yes. I erased it with my own hands. Grandfell’s memories of the previous cycle. With my own hands.
“Lord, your complexion doesn’t look good.”
I guess I really can’t live by lying anymore. Unlike you, my face isn’t thick-skinned enough. Seeing how these emotions show on my face as they are.
“You’re right. I don’t feel very good.”
“Our lord is displeased! Just give the order. I, Diend Crysciad Eternal Darkness, am always prepared to suffocate your enemies in darkness.”
“…Thanks. Hearing your full name really snaps me back to my senses.”
I’m grateful, but you probably can’t do it, Diend.
‘The one who made me like this is Grandfell.’
In the end, it was a difference in perspective.
The memories of previous cycles in my head were all from my own point of view. The memories of the past I witnessed while carrying out the spacetime quest were from Grandfell’s—or others’—perspectives…
That’s why.
‘I was able to steady my shaken heart.’
A monster.
From an objective perspective—not my own—the Lee Hoyeol of the previous cycle was nothing more and nothing less than that. He was so broken it was hard to even watch.
Even I felt my affection completely drained when I saw it myself.
‘And yet you treated me like that.’
You remembered everything and still treated me that way, Grandfell. Yes. At least because of that, I feel sorry.
‘Well, it’s fine.’
I don’t plan to torment you anymore. More precisely, I won’t leave you in torment. I’ve already taken the first step for that.
‘Clear every mission recorded by Grandfell.’
The quest scroll disappears once it’s cleared. The memories of previous cycles that Grandfell remembers will disappear along with it. Of course, they won’t vanish completely.
They remain here, in my head.
‘Saying it like that makes it sound like I’m sacrificing something again.’
Don’t misunderstand, Grandfell. This is simply a change in perspective. If you’ve repeated countless cycles and still haven’t reached the right answer, it means you need to change your perspective entirely. You might not like it very much, though.
‘This time, I’ll become you, and you’ll become me.’
We’re switching the roles we shared. This time, I’ll be like you. I’ll reverse time while remembering all the memories of previous cycles.
For that to be possible, just like you did—
‘I have to engrave the memories into the space of consciousness.’
I can’t use the social hall of spacetime that you used first. If I leave a scroll, you’ll clear it, won’t you? It would just be an extension of a never-ending chase.
I, Lee Hoyeol, had to engrave the memories of previous cycles—acquired from the quests Grandfell left behind—into a “space of consciousness” that Grandfell cannot access, yet only I can.
Where is such a space of consciousness?
‘I already know it well.’
With that thought, I let out a sigh.
“Haah. No matter what, it seems I’m destined to be an Akshan even if I’m reborn.”
*
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… p i n d a n g s c a n s . c o m
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Thud.
“My apologies. It seems I was mistaken.”
The crimson-eyed Dune warrior bowed his head.
“No. I like that attitude.”
“I feel I’ve made you come all this way for nothing.”
“I told you, it’s not like that. My body was itching for action anyway. I was eagerly waiting for the expedition. Who would’ve thought everyone would return to the Arcana Continent, to the world of adventurers?”
The leader of the Dune clan, Shahin.
“If the reason hadn’t been the Supreme Commander’s return, I might’ve already taken you all and launched a solo expedition into the Demon Realm.”
“That actually sounds exciting.”
“I like your seriousness in taking a joke seriously.”
Shahin stood beside the warrior who had been on guard duty and looked up at the sky of the Demon Realm. Even the Demon Realm must have night. The already dark sky had grown even darker. The silver evil eye shone brilliantly.
“Still, it’s unusually bright—bright enough that even I could mistake it.”
The warrior curled the corners of his mouth slightly and bowed. It was an honor to follow a leader like him. Just as he swallowed those thoughts and focused on his watch again—
“…?”
Shahin’s red pupils twitched.
Eyes that glimpse the immediate future. His instincts warned him, showing the leader of the Dune clan the near future.
“Huff… huff…”
Suddenly, ragged breathing sounded from behind him. What’s going on? The Dune warrior turned his head and recoiled in shock.
“Lord Shahin!”
.
.
.
When Shahin regained consciousness, he was in a tent at the Demon Realm encampment.
For something built in such a short time, the ceiling was remarkably well made. Did they have someone this skilled among their allies? The moment the thought crossed his mind, Shahin snapped back to his senses.
“What happened?”
“…And you are?”
“Don’t you remember?”
The dwarf, Wallswaile, smacked his lips.
“I’m not too pleased that I’ve been fixing the weapons of people who don’t even know my name. Well, never mind. You don’t look like you’re in a state to take jokes right now.”
“My weapon… You wouldn’t happen to be sir Wallswaile?”
“That’s right. Do we all look too similar to tell apart?”
More of his face was covered by beard than not. Shahin let out a small chuckle at the joke, but quickly composed himself.
‘So I lost consciousness.’
The horrifying future reflected in his crimson eyes resurfaced, and Shahin’s face turned pale. Wallswaile let out a deep sigh.
“Even sick folks like us can’t relax, huh.”
“My apologies. But what illness are you suffering from?”
“I’ve been hammering nonstop, so wouldn’t it be stranger if I were perfectly fine? No matter how strong my bones are. I built dozens of fortresses near Behemoth’s maw.”
So his whole body was aching. Suddenly, the clinking of something. Wallswaile smacked his lips.
“If only I could drink beer, I’d feel better. Too many eyes watching, though. Especially now that I’ve unintentionally gained a lot of apprentices, I need to show some restraint.”
Only then did Shahin realize.
‘So being sick was a lie.’
A dwarf.
To Shahin, a survivor of the Seorn Continent, dwarves of the Arcana Continent were unfamiliar, but their innate physique looked sturdy enough to be enviable.
Shahin spoke first.
“You believe I’m not truly here, don’t you?”
“Hmm, what do you mean by that?”
“My lips are sealed, you see.”
…He doesn’t look like an ordinary man. He doesn’t seem the type to speak twice either. Hesitating, Wallswaile quietly pulled out a beer.
Then he handed Shahin a cup.
“From now on, you’re my accomplice.”
“I’m truly a patient, though.”
“A patient? You don’t even look like you’d catch a cold.”
Shahin accepted the cup. Perhaps he was finally in the mood—Wallswaile continued with a grin.
“I’m not drinking in secret out of pettiness. It’s a joyful day, so I can’t help it. Isn’t it wonderful? Our Supreme Commander has returned. The other world must already be in festival mode. Shouldn’t we celebrate among ourselves here in the Demon Realm?”
A festival. Shahin had thought the same. Watching the cup fill, he thought:
‘There are things you can say because you’re not close.’
Shahin and Wallswaile.
They belonged to the same Holy War Alliance, but they didn’t interact much. They must’ve seen each other a few times in meetings, yet he could barely remember even his name.
Because of that ambiguous distance. Because of the pleasant buzz of alcohol. Shahin spoke.
“Sir Wallswaile.”
“Ahh, I’m listening, crimson-eyed brother.”
“Did you know why I collapsed?”
“Huh? Overexertion, wasn’t it? I’ve heard plenty. If not for the crimson-eyed warriors, both the Arcana Continent and the Demon Realm would still be in chaos.”
To meet someone who recognized their efforts better than even their homeland… Shahin suddenly felt warmth in his chest. That was why he had to speak.
“Overexertion? No. Just as you remain fine no matter how much you hammer, the crimson-eyed warriors do not tire no matter how many battles we fight.”
“Hey now, I told you I came here because I’m sick.”
“Please hear me out a bit longer.”
“…?”
Shahin’s gaze had turned serious. A dwarf wouldn’t get drunk from a few bottles of beer. Wallswaile shook off the buzz.
“I tried to at least feel tipsy, but no use. So you felt something too? I’ll go first. I just couldn’t bring myself to pick up my hammer.”
He didn’t really have time to rest. Wallswaile knew Hoyeol’s personality well. The moment he returned, he would surely be dealing with the backlog of work. The paused Demon Realm expedition would obviously resume. And Wallswaile had been crafting whenever he could.
‘Demon Hunter.’
Exclusive equipment suited to your class. Even amid such urgency, there was a reason Wallswaile put down his hammer.
And that reason was the same as Shahin’s.
“My crimson eyes can see a slightly farther future than my kin. The leaders of our clan could originally see even farther.”
“So what did you see?”
“I saw it.”
Lowering his voice, Shahin continued.
“Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo.”
“…No way.”
His finger pointed to the Evil Eye in the sky.
“I saw a future where the Silver Evil Eye runs wild.”